Separator having a lubrication system for a belt driven short spindle drive

ABSTRACT

A separator including a rotatable centrifugal drum having a vertical axis of rotation and an inflow line for a material to be processed by the separator. Also included is a drive spindle for the drum rotatably mounted via a mounting to a housing supported elastically on a machine stand section. A drive device includes an electric drive motor having a stator and a rotor which is aligned with the drive spindle. A lubricant system is configured to lubricate the mounting and the lubricant system includes a lubricant circuit to convey lubricant and has a lubricant collecting container.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.12/747,449, filed Nov. 27, 2008, (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,758,209), which isa National Stage of International Application PCT/EP2008/066282, filedNov. 27, 2008, which claims priority under 35U.S.C. §119 to GermanPatent Application No. 10 2007 060 541.4, filed Dec. 13, 2007,the entiredisclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a separator that includes a rotatablecentrifugal drum with a vertical axis of rotation and an inflow line fora centrifugable material to be processed. A drive spindle for thecentrifugal drum is mounted rotatably by a mounting in a housing whichis supported elastically on a machine stand. A drive device includes anelectric drive motor having a stator and a rotor which is in alignmentwith the drive spindle. A lubricant system is configured to lubricatethe mounting. The lubricant system includes a lubricant circuit toconvey lubricant and has a lubricant collecting container.

Separators of this type, suitable particularly for industrial use incontinuous operation, are known per se from the prior art. Among theknown systems, there are structures, in which the drum, the drivespindle and the electric drive motor are connected rigidly to form astructural unit which is then supported elastically as a whole on amachine stand. Examples of such prior art are disclosed in FR 1 287 551,DE 1 057 979 and DE 43 14 440 C1.

Moreover, with regard to the technological background, also see WO98/57751 A1, DE 103 14 118 B4, FR 938 919 A, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,428,460 B1and 1,745,853 A.

DE 20 2005 001 539 U1 shows a separator having a drive belt, with acirculatory lubrication system for lubricating the spindle mounting. Thesystem has a tube-like device, resembling a paring disk, for pumpingaway lubricant. The device serves for pumping lubricant, which emergesfrom the mounting of the drive spindle of the separator drive, via atreatment assembly into a lubricant sump, into which the drive spindle,designed as a hollow spindle, penetrates with its lower end. However,this arrangement still has a relatively long axial length.

WO 2007/125066 A1 discloses a generic separator with a direct drive. Thedrive device has an electric drive motor with a stator and a motor rotorwhich is in alignment with the drive spindle, the stator being connectedrigidly to the machine stand, and the motor rotor, drive spindle,centrifugal drum and housing forming a unit which is supportedelastically on the machine stand and which oscillates during operation.In this case, the bearing device is arranged between the motor and thedrum. Furthermore, it is proposed therein to accommodate the lubricationof the bearing devices above a partition over the drive motor.

Against this background, the present disclosure relates to, among otherthings, to improving further the set-up and arrangement of thelubrication system of separators having a vertical axis of rotation.

The present disclosure thus relates to an embodiment comprising aseparator that includes a rotatable centrifugal drum having a verticalaxis of rotation and an inflow line for a material to be processed bythe separator. Further included is a drive spindle for the drumrotatably mounted via a mounting to a housing supported elastically on amachine stand section. A drive device includes an electric drive motorhaving a stator and a rotor which is aligned with the drive spindle. Alubricant system is configured to lubricate the mounting. The lubricantsystem includes a lubricant circuit to convey lubricant and has alubricant collecting container. The entire lubricant circuit and atleast the lubricant collecting container is arranged axially above therotor. The lubricant is conveyed out of the lubricant collectingcontainer directly through a lubricant duct formed in the housing andextending into a region of or above a neck bearing of the mounting. Theentire mounting of the drive spindle is arranged axially above a bottomof the lubricant collecting container. Another embodiment comprises aseparator that includes a centrifugal drum having a vertical axis ofrotation and an inflow line for a material to be processed by theseparator. Further included is a drive spindle for the drum rotatablymounted via a mounting to a housing supported elastically on a machinestand section. A drive device includes a motor and a drive belt loopingaround the drive spindle. The entire mounting is arranged above themotor or the drive belt. A lubricant system is configured to lubricatethe mounting and includes a lubricant circuit and has a lubricantcollecting container. The entire lubricant circuit and at least thelubricant collecting container is arranged axially above one or both ofa belt pulley or the drive belt that surrounds the drive spindle. Theentire mounting of the drive spindle is arranged axially above a bottomof the lubricant collecting container.

This arrangement makes it possible to implement a form of constructionof the drive device which is especially short in the vertical direction.Since the spindle is not used for lubricant circulation, it can beutilized for other tasks, such as a product supply, for example througha hollow spindle.

As noted above, the structures are suitable both for drive via a beltmechanism and for various types of direct drives with a drive motorarranged in an axial prolongation of the drive spindle or on the drivespindle.

The region of the motor can be separated in structural terms fromelements of the lubricant system.

Moreover, the oil is conveyed in a confined space, directly in orsometimes also directly on the housing, to the neck bearing.

Moreover, the co-rotating lubricant collecting container affords anadvantage that it can receive a relatively large oil volume in aconfined space. That means, for the conveyance of oil, for example, aconveying member, resembling a paring disk, for the pumping of oil or aconveying tube for conveying into the mounting, can be integrated intosaid collecting container.

Other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from thefollowing descriptions when considered in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of a first separator drive, according tothe present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of a second separator drive, according tothe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a part of a separator 1 including a centrifugal drum 2indicated by broken lines and having a vertical axis of rotation D. Thecentrifugal drum 2 is connected to a drive spindle 3. A cowl and asolids trap are not shown.

The drive spindle 3 is mounted rotatably in a housing 6 by a mounting.The mounting comprises a neck bearing 4, or upper bearing, and a footbearing 5 or lower bearing. For example, the neck bearing 4 includes tworolling bearings. It is within the scope of the present disclosure thatother configurations, for example, with only one rolling bearing as aneck bearing 4 is conceivable (not shown). Furthermore, it is also beconceivable to provide two foot bearings 5.

The housing 6 is supported on a machine stand section 9 by one or moreelastic elements 7, 8, for example, round bearings. The machine standsection 9 may be designed, for example, as part of an overriding machinestand or may be fastened to a ceiling of a building.

A separator drive serves for driving the centrifugal drum 2. As shown inFIG. 1, the drive includes an electric motor 10 which has a motorhousing 13 with a stator 11, or stator winding, and a motor rotor 12.The motor 10 may have a variety of mountings, thus making it possible tohave more cost-effective designs.

The drive spindle 3 is connected to the motor rotor 12 directly. Thatis, without interposed elements, such as a coupling. By contrast, themotor housing 13 with the stator 11 is arranged rigidly, unsprung, onthe machine stand section 9. The motor housing 13 is directly attached,for example, screwed on by bolts 28 to the machine stand section 9 atthe bottom. The motor housing 13 has a lower cover 29. For ventilation,orifices and/or a fan may be introduced (not shown) into the cover 29.

The mounting, or bearing devices 4, 5, is arranged axially between themotor 11 and the centrifugal drum 2.

The motor rotor 12 is thus arranged, suspended with respect to the drivespindle 3, in a simple and advantageous way.

Separate bearings on the motor 10, for implementing a rigid positioningof the motor rotor 12 with respect to the stator 11 of the motor 10, aredispensed with.

The motor rotor 12, which executes the oscillation and movement of thedrive spindle 3 in accompaniment, can rotate freely in the stator 11,without touching it.

The elastic elements 7, 8 comprise, distributed circumferentially, aplurality of elements, such as, for example, round bearings which may beoriented perpendicularly to one another. This results in an especiallydefined setting of the point of articulation or center of rotation ofthe system P1.

The arrangement of the pairs of elastic elements 7, 8 is selected insuch a way that straight lines running through longitudinal mid-axes ofthe first elastic elements 7 intersect at the point P1 which liesaxially and radially in the middle, within the motor rotor 13, on theaxis of the rotation D of the drive spindle 3. The selected arrangementaffords the advantage of a good and easy coordination of the springproperties by a variation in the location and design of the firstelastic elements 7.

The second elastic elements 8 are arranged radially outside the firstelastic elements 7. Straight lines running through their longitudinalmid-axes intersect on the axis of rotation D at a point P2 which liesabove the mounting, or bearing devices 4, 5 and lies within the drivespindle 3.

The separator drive, according to the present disclosure, is designed ina defined way such that the center of rotation P1of the oscillating unitlies in the axially and radially middle third, or, for example, at theaxial and radial mid-point, of the motor rotor 12.

The machine stand section 9 has a radially inner wall section 14 whichtapers conically upward and which merges downwardly into a wall section15 extending cylindrically vertically downward. The motor housing 13 isattached to this cylindrical wall section 15 at the bottom. Thecylindrical wall section 15 merges upwardly and radially outwardly intoa conically widening wall section 16 which merges in turn into aradially outer flange section 17. A solids trap and a cowl, inaccordance with the present disclosure, also being capable of beingsupported on the machine stand 9.

The housing 6 has an upper flange-like region which has a wall section18 widening outwardly and downwardly and, adjoining said wall section 18radially outwardly is a wall section 19 widening outwardlyperpendicularly with respect to the section 18. The housing 6 isconsequently designed to be stable and yet stiff and with optimizedweight.

The top sides of the wall sections 14 and 15 serve lower supportingsurfaces, and the undersides of the wall sections 18, 19 serve as uppersupporting surfaces of the first and second elastic elements 7 and 8which are oriented perpendicularly with respect to one another.

The flange-like region or wall section 18 has adjoining it a cylindricalhousing region 20 which extends axially downwardly and which surroundsthe drive spindle 3. The neck and foot bearings 4, 5 are arranged,spaced apart, between the inner circumference of the housing 6 and theouter circumference of the drive spindle 3.

In the space delimited upwardly and radially outwardly by the machinestand section 9 and downwardly by the rotor 12 of the motor 10, and alsoinwardly by the housing region 20, and, further below, by the drivespindle 3, an annular-space or torus-like lubricant collecting container21 is arranged. Container 21 has boundary walls 22, 23 tapering upwardlyand downwardly. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lubricantcollecting container 21 is connected fixedly in terms of rotation in itslower region to the drive spindle 3, for example, in region 31. Thus,during operation, oil is collected in it radially on the outside. Thelubricant collecting container 21 bears upwardly, with an extension 30extending partially parallel to the housing 6 and against the housing 6in a virtually sealing arrangement. However, the container 21 isrotatable in relation to said housing 6.

The lubricant collecting container 21 can, in accordance with thepresent disclosure, be integrated predominantly as a co-rotating elementinto the structure. Nonetheless, container 21 may advantageously have alarge volume.

The rotating lubricant collecting container 21 also affords an advantagethat heat can easily be diverted outward by it, for example via coolingribs. A means for surface enlargement, such as the cooling ribs, canalso be integrated into the container 21 or on the outside of thecontainer 21, in accordance with the present disclosure.

Furthermore, for cooling, for example, the lower cover 29 could have oneor more orifices, and a further orifice could be provided in the regionof the housing 6 or machine stand section 9, above the motor 10, sothat, during operation, an air stream past the motor 10 occurs in themanner of a fan. In the cover 29, a diameter would be selected for theorifices which diameter is smaller than the outside diameter of thecollecting container 21, in order to achieve the fan-like coolingaction. A ribbing on the collecting container 21, for example at thebottom, would further reinforce this effect.

It is within the scope of the present disclosure to integrate a coolingcircuit for a fluid into the motor housing 13 or at another suitablelocation.

In an advantageous refinement, a tube-like extension 24 projects as ameans for the conveyance of oil into the lower region of the lubricantcollecting container 21 and is arranged and designed in such a way that,during operation, it penetrates into the lubricant, for example an oil,collected in the lubricant collecting container 21 on the outside. Theextension 24 projects into a radial bore 25 in the housing 6, which bore25 merges into a lubricant duct 26 extending axially into the regionabove the neck bearing 4. This arrangement, resembling a paring disk,serves for conveying the lubricant out of the lubricant collectingcontainer 21 into the region between the inner circumference of thehousing 6 and the outer circumference of the drive spindle 3, above theneck bearing 4.

For better guidance, the tube 24 may also be bent opposite to thedirection of rotation.

During rotations of the drive spindle 3, oil is routed outward and ispumped upward through the lubricant duct 26 at the oil level designatedas OIL in FIG. 1.

Lubricant emerging from the lubricant duct 26 can then run downwardlythrough the neck and the foot bearings 4, 5 and from there downwardlyback into the lubricant collecting space 21, where it collects radiallyon the outside on account of the centrifugal action.

By way of the lubricant duct 26, oil can be conveyed out of thelubricant collecting container 21 through the lubricant duct 26, whichis formed in the housing 6 and extends directly into or above the neckbearing 4, passes axially through the housing 6, directly into theregion of the neck bearing 4 on or into the region above the neckbearing 4. In accordance with the present disclosure, the oil no longer,as in WO 2007/125066, has to be routed through external lines or filterelements out of the region lying radially near the drive spindle 3.

Thus, a complete lubricant circuit designed in a defined way andoperating reliably is implemented in a most confined space for thepurpose of lubricating the mounting, or the neck and foot bearing 4, 5,of the centrifuge or separator 1. The region of the drive motor 10 isseparated from the lubricant system or lubricant circuit. The driveregion beneath the mounting 4, 5 has only a minimal vertical extent.

In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the motor rotor 12is connected fixedly in terms of rotation directly to the drive spindle3 or is formed in one piece with the latter. Elements, such a coupling,which lengthen the form of construction, may thus be dispensed with.Moreover, the production costs are also further reduced.

It is within the scope of the present disclosure to provide other typesof motors on the spindle 3. Thus, it is conceivable to connect the motorrotor 12 to the spindle 3 and the stator 11 to the housing 6 (notshown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the lubricant circuit of FIG. 1, with all itselements, may also be employed in a structure in which the drive spindle3 is driven via a drive belt 27 lying beneath the lubricant collectingcontainer 21. This embodiment of separator construction, which is anespecially compact form of construction, including, for example, beingshort in the vertical direction is implementable using the lubricantsystem according to the present disclosure.

The annular-space/torus-like lubricant collecting container 21 isarranged in the space delimited upwardly and radially outwardly by themachine stand section 9 and downwardly by the drive belt 27 and alsoinwardly by the housing region 20 and, further below, by the drivespindle 3. The lubricant collecting container 21 can also be integratedpredominantly into the structure at this point. FIG. 2 also shows amachine stand foot 32 and belt pulley 33 which the drive belt 27surrounds or with which the latter may be formed integrally.

The separator drive, according to the embodiment of FIG. 2, is designedin such a way that the center of rotation P1 of the oscillating unitlies at the axial and radial mid-point of that region of the belt pulley33 on the drive spindle 3 around which the drive belt 27 is looped.

The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate theinvention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of thedisclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of theinvention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention shouldbe construed to include everything within the scope of the appendedclaims and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A separator comprising: a centrifugal drum havinga vertical axis of rotation and an inflow line for a material to beprocessed by the separator; a drive spindle for the centrifugal drumrotatably mounted via a mounting to a housing supported elastically on amachine stand section, the mounting having an upper bearing and a lowerbearing; a drive device including a motor and a drive belt loopingaround the drive spindle; the entire mounting is arranged above themotor or the drive belt; a lubricant system configured to lubricate themounting and including a lubricant circuit and a lubricant collectingcontainer, the lubricant circuit including a tube arranged in thelubricant collecting container, a lubricant duck formed in the housingand connected to the tube and extending into a region of or above theupper bearing of the mounting, wherein the lubricant collectingcontainer is torus-shaped such that a diameter of the lubricantcollecting container is greater than an axial dimension of the lubricantcollecting container and has boundary walls tapering upwardly anddownwardly; the entire lubricant circuit and at least the lubricantcollecting container being arranged axially above one or both of a beltpulley and the drive belt that surrounds the drive spindle; and theentire mounting of the drive spindle is arranged axially above a bottomof the lubricant collecting container.
 2. The separator as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the drive device is configured such that a center ofrotation of an oscillating unit lies at an axial and radial mid-point ofa region of the drive spindle around which the drive belt is looped. 3.The separator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lubricant collectingcontainer is arranged in a space delineated upwardly and radiallyoutwardly by the machine stand section and downwardly by the drive belt,inwardly by a housing region and, further below, by the drive spindle.